Hellmouth: Lima Chronicles
by lagleeredux2013
Summary: Lima Falls is not the place Mercedes Jones expects to encounter the occult, even if people are disappearing-that's just bad luck right? After a talk with her beloved Grams, she finds herself thrust into a world she doesn't understand.Enter Sam Evans,Vampire she discovers the truth about her town and her own identity is Sam really all he seems?Based on NYC:Hellmouth RP.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys:D Once again we've decided to convert a RP into a fic and this time its about as different as you can get from Eternally Chasing Mercedes, which we haven't forgotten about and will be updating very soon. This new fic is based on the tumblr RP NYC:Hellmouth formerly known as Lima Falls Glee which is over a year old and for anyone who is interested in checking out the character blogs, the account names are fallenangel-sammael and mystical-mercyjones. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we enjoyed rping it!**

**Jeni and Chauncey**

* * *

Prologue

Mercedes sat at the dining room table looking over at her grandmother, Patrice Jones, trying not to give her major side-eye. Had she heard what she thought she heard coming out of her grandmother's mouth? It couldn't be. She knew her grandmother was getting up there in years but the young girl felt like she should have been years away from going senile. Yet, here she was, sitting face to face with her grandmother, who had just told her…she was a witch. Mercedes had been called the other word that rhymes with 'witch' occasionally in school when one of the prissy girls were surprised when the young girl didn't take their shit, but a witch? Nope- not in the magical sense anyway."Grams, are you feeling alright," Mercedes asked as she looked over at her grandmother who watched her solemnly. "Don't patronize me child," her grandmother replied with a small smile. "You're listening to me with the wrong part of yourself," she continued.

Mercedes furrowed her eyebrows, confused by the older woman's statement. "I don't follow Grams," she replied with the nickname she had always called her grandma. "Well," the older woman said standing up and walking away asking the girl to follow, "I'm sitting her telling you that you come from a long line of witches, and magic flows through your blood. I'm telling you that we, as witches, are the servants of nature and keep the balance in this world between the natural and supernatural. I'm telling you of your destiny child," Patrice Jones explained as they walked down into the basement. Getting to the bottom of the stairs the older woman looked up at her grandchild with a gleam in her eyes, "I'm only telling you what you already feel in your spirit. You keep listening to me with that logical brain of yours and you need to listen to me with your soul," she said as she turned back around and walked to a far wall and pressed a spot on it.

In seconds Mercedes' eye brows shot up as the wall separated and revealed what looked like something of a shrine with candles, weird jewelry, and books. Something in Mercedes Jones stirred in that moment and she felt a sudden jolt of excitement. Why was she excited? "You feel it too, don't you Cedes," her grandmother commented, "That's the magic calling to you. When you came to me about the weird dreams you'd been having and the flashes of images you got when coming in contact with certain people…I knew it was time you knew. Your powers have begun to surface. It happens to every witch when they reach a certain age. Although I must say it's happened to you a lot sooner- then again the Jones' line is one of the strongest magical lines there are so I'm not surprised," Patrice finished with a shook her head for a moment. She had gone to her grandmother concerned over the recent happenings this past week. She'd been having weird dreams about dark figures and bodies being drained dry. Not to mention when she was doing the charity car wash the hose she had been holding caught on fire when she got excited. It was strange, and for some reason Mercedes felt she needed to tell her grandmother. Yet, this was not the news she wanted to hear. All her life her grandmother had been her protector and her anchor. When her father died in the car accident when she was ten and her mother abandoned her soon after her grandmother stepped up and raised Mercedes. Mercedes had turned to the woman to comfort her, and tell her it was just random events- not to tell her some earth shattering news such as this.

Mercedes wanted to shut her eyes and pretend this was all a joke her grandmother was playing but somewhere, not even so deep, inside she knew her elder was telling the truth. "I don't know," was all the young girl could whisper. The older woman put a comforting arm around her granddaughter's shoulder. "I know you don't know now, but you will. That's why I'm here. We'll start your lessons as soon as possible," the older woman explained."Lessons," Mercedes questioned. "Yes, every witch has lessons in her magic. It's to teach them in the ways of being a servant of nature," her grandmother finished. Mercedes couldn't help but roll her eyes. She would have thought being a witch would give her ways to figure out how to do less homework. "I still don't" Mercedes began. "You still don't know if you really hold the power," her grandmother finished. The young girl nodded.

The older woman stood back from her granddaughter with a sense of pride in her eyes. "Well, Cedes. I don't know if you noticed but for the duration of this conversation down here…you've been floating in the air," her grandmother said nonchalantly. The young girl's eye brows drew together in confusion until she looked down at her feet and realized she was indeed no longer on the ground. When panic set in she tumbled to the looked up as her grandmother floated back down to the ground to stand over her. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it," the older woman said with a chuckle.


	2. Just Another Night

Sam stood with his back to the wall, observing the party in full swing. It was Thursday, a school night, something that didn't seem to bother the the popular crowd of McKinley high school, Lima Falls. Everyone who was anyone was there, letting the bass that pumped from the giant speakers reverberate through the ground upwards across their bodies in a sultry beat, giving the hormones that raged through their veins free rein. Glancing across the room, he caught sight of his buddy Puck, hands firmly anchored on the skinny hips of some random cheerio, tongue half way down her throat, his hips grinding against hers and Sam looked away rolling his eyes expressively. Whatever it was Puck was intending to do with the girl, it might get him off physically, at least for a while, but his eyes would still follow Zizes around hungrily, none the less afterwards. Pulling his phone out, he checked it for the third time that night, sighing as he glanced at the empty screen. _Dammit, Santana..Where the hell are you.._he thought trying to stifle his annoyance with his on-off girlfriend. He'd been trying to track her down for days, ever since a school project with a certain someone, with limited luck so far and he was starting to get impatient. Casting a smile which didn't quite reach his green eyes, as a couple of girls he recognised as Santana's friends, or well as close to friends as you were going to get in the bitch set of the school, flirtatiously waved at him, beckoning him to join them, he shook his head in the negative. As the high school quarterback and captain of the basketball team, he commanded respect amongst his male peers, and the hungry glances of his female ones, something he normally revelled in, much to his cousin, Jesse's disapproval..but not tonight. Looking around the room,bored, his attention was suddenly arrested by the entrance of a girl he had not expected to see here tonight, one that was pulling his body towards her involuntarily, as he found himself walking over to her, his eyes raking over her diminutive form he got there however, another unwelcome sight greeted him. Sebastian, the black sheep of his family, more aptly named as his cousin, accosted the girl, a faint snarl on his handsome face.

'Well, well, well..if it isn't Mercedes Jones..' Sebastian drawled as his gaze travelled the length of her body. 'Come out to see how the cool kids play?'

'Sebastian,' Mercedes inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement. 'Puck invited me to the party…I didn't realize it was just for the cool kids..'

'Yes, all the cool kids are doing it, which begs the question: why are you here?' he asked, a wicked smile painted across his lips. Sam felt the sudden urge to slam Sebastian up against the nearest wall, and he blinked bemusedly, the thought leaving him as quickly as it had come.

'Hey, hey coz..is that any way to speak to a girl, dude..careful or they'll think Jesse and me have manners like yours just because we're related..Apologies Mercedes..there's always one in every family..' he said, coming up behind Sebastian, clamping a hand down on his shoulder. A split second passed in which green eyes clashed as a silent warning was issued and received, before his cousin, grinned ruefully and backed away, leaving Sam and Mercedes facing each other awkwardly.

'It's fine, I'm used to the way Sebastian is by now. I can handle myself. You don't have to apologize…Sam… You guys are related right?' she said smiling tightly.

'Yeah…he's my cousin…like a very distant one. And you know Jesse right? He's my other cousin…' he trailed off, somehow nervous in front of this girl. 'How are you? I haven't seen you since the project..'

'You live in the same house though right? On the St. James estate? That doesn't seem super distant to me…' she shrugged, eyes clearly judging him. 'Where's Santana? She's on the cheer-leading team right? I would have thought she would have been here tonight.. You two are going out right? Makes sense… I'm fine. Thanks for asking.'

'Yeah we do.' he answered with a slight frown, 'That doesn't mean I'm like him. Or is it that you're tarring me and Jesse with the same brush?That's mighty unfriendly of you Mercedes. I thought you'd gotten to know me a bit from that project.' He grimaced slightly at the mention of his girlfriend's name. 'Yeah, she's a cheer-leader and we're sort of dating. What do you mean by that? Makes sense how?'

'I'm not 'tarring' you with anything. I was just making an observation. I wasn't trying to be unfriendly. I guess I got to know you a little bit when we partnered together.' she owned, the look in her eyes directly contradicting her statement. _Oh no baby,_ he thought, jolted by where the term of endearment had entered his thoughts from, _I know exactly what you think of me..your eyes can't hide it..you think I'm exactly the same as Sebastian.._ 'I've seen her around school, we have a few classes together. I don't mean anything really. Just that it makes sense that a guy like you would be dating Santana. The popular and/or rich kids tend to date each other is all…' she continued, pressing her lips together.

'A 'guy like me'? First I get the feeling that you don't like Sebastian but because he happens to be related to me, a fact which I can't help, you're judging me. Then you're saying that I only date girls who are popular.I would love to correct you Mercedes. It must be great to sit in judgement from your ivory tower. You really know nothing about me. If you did…nevermind. Let's just say my type of girl is definitely not Santana but something a bit closer to home.' he let out before realising he had just voiced thoughts about his girlfriend, he had yet not told _her, _though not for want of trying.

'It's not that I don't like Sebastian exactly…he just gives me a… weird vibe is all…' she defended, eyes widening at his accusation.' Also, he does come off as a jerk a lot of the time. I'm not judging you, I was just making an observation. Also, I didn't say you 'only' date popular girls, I was just commenting that its more likely that you date popular girls. There's a difference. You're right I don't know much about you. You and your cousins tend to stay pretty mysterious. If I did what? Really? And what would your type of girl be?'

Sam snorted impatiently. 'Why is it more likely that I would date popular girls? Again assumption on your part. Please you clearly don't like Sebastian not that I blame you, I don't like him either. Mysterious? In what way? If you broke your reverse snobbery and made an effort to actually talk to me once in a while instead of ignoring me because of some sort of preconceived notion you have…' he shot at her , crossing his arms over his chest before sighing.'Why should I tell you anyway. You wouldn't believe me.'

'I don't study psychology so I couldn't tell you why you do the things you do. Maybe you should go see someone that's trained in that to find out. Okay, so I don't like the guy- can you blame me? You don't like him? Seems weird not to like family. Yes, mysterious. You guys just seem…different. Reversed snobbery? I don't ignore you. Why would it matter if I did? You should tell me because for some reason you want to prove me wrong, so, prove me wrong and tell me the kind of girls you like.' she scoffed, rolling her eyes at him, and he felt his body tense in annoyance.

'I don't need a psychologist or a therapist to tell me what kind of person I want to date thanks. You may need that kind of intervention though judging from-nevermind. I'm not saying I blame you. I can understand it. Do you know the phrase you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family? It more than applies in this case. I'm not mysterious. I talk to everybody..You just judged me because of my ? I don't think you're ready for the truth…you're too narrow-minded.' he condemned, with a quirk of his eyebrow.

'In that case, I don't think we have anything left to say,' Mercedes rejoined evenly, looking beyond his shoulder to see Puck gesturing to her. 'I have to go..Puck wants to talk to me,' she excused herself, brushing lightly past him.

He watched, irritated, as she made her way over to his friend, smiling in delight at seeing him and frowned as the urge to commit bodily harm to someone for the second time that night assailed him. 'Whatever,' he muttered turning to walk away, not realising there was a person standing behind him, until he had practically knocked her over. 'Shit..Quinn..I'm sorry,' he apologized, grabbing her elbow to steady her. 'I didn't see you there..'

'Hey Sammy..it's OK..' the blonde smiled widely at him, before looking around. 'Where's Satan?'

'I was about to ask you the same thing,' he admitted, shrugging. 'I..I've heard rumours about what she's supposedly getting up to and trust me they're not good..'

'You mean..you heard about her and Puck's brother?' Quinn asked her voice dropping low.

'And the rest..' he affirmed sardonically, shaking his head. 'I'd dump her..if I could damn well find her…What about you?You all on your lonesome tonight?' he asked, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of Puck pulling Mercedes to him, and beginning a slow grind to the beat of the music as the track changed and slowed.

'That I am..' Quinn nodded, surveying him from under her eyelashes, a flirtatious smile curving her lips. 'Unless you wanted to keep me company..'

Not liking the way Puck's hands gripped Mercedes' hips, he found himself agreeing with the blonde in front of him. 'I can always make time for a pretty lady..' he whispered,pulling her close, just as his eyes connected with a pair of brown doe ones across the room.

* * *

A party had been just what Quinn Fabray needed, especially considering how boring the summer had been. She had thought that dating Mike would be a breeze, that it'd be fun. He was a nice guy, studious, a good dancer.. but she was more than second guessing her decision to be with him. They had been good friends, and being more than friends wasn't exactly working for her. So a night to just relax with some friends, and have a few drinks. Of course underage drinking was against the law, but she was sure God would understand. Her two best friends had been MIA, and the summer was getting increasingly boring. The night called for some harmless flirting and a lot of dancing.

Being Quinn Fabray, she got to the party a little while after most, to ensure that no one missed her grand entrance, befitting the queen of the popular set.. Despite the fact that she was a good churchgoing girl, she still knew how let loose and have fun and her first got to stop was alcohol..in case the party turned out to be a bust, she wanted to have a good buzz going. She took a shot, and chased it with some vodka and cranberry juice. Her gaze shifted around the party, spotting the usual people. Lima Falls was starting to really bore her. She needed some adventure, some new faces.. That's what she was looking for tonight.

Some girls from the cheerleading squad motioned her over towards the dance floor. After tossing back the rest of her drink, she joined them, hoping to gain the attention of at least a few men. Being a cheerleader meant she knew how to move, and she danced along to the music with ease. Her hips swiveled and she had a lopsided smirk on her lips. She had been knocked sideways and about to curse the hell out of whoever the idiot that had bumped into her had been when her eyes had landed on none other than Sam Evans. Truth be told she'd always found Sam hot but every time she had been about to make her move she had been two seconds too late. Now with Santana out of the picture, temporarily at least, things were looking up. She ran a seductive hand along his chest, her eyes fluttering flirtatiously. When he pulled her closer, she wound her arms around his neck, pressing her body close.'Dance with me. That's what this area is for, you know. It's not for standing.'

Quinn was a really pretty girl,Sam thought beautiful in fact, but she left his heart cold. Shrugging the thought off he said 'So where's Mike, tonight?'

She bit her lip before answering softly 'The same place Santana is probably..Not here..Tonight it's just you and me….We can do whatever the hell we like..'

His green eyes focused on hers and he bit his lip, wondering if he could really do this. _Fuck yeah_, his mind said egging him on. He bent his head to whisper against her ear. 'Well, Miss Fabray..you're looking mighty fine tonight,' and his hands gripped her hips gently but insistently. 'I've always though you were beautiful, the stuff of fantasies,' he said softly, his index finger raising to trace the swell of her lip with a feather-light touch. It wasn't a lie. he had always thought she was beautiful but it was the kind of beauty he'd be okay with admiring in a museum behind thick plexi-glas. The kind of fantasies that he could imagine her inducing were sweet, virginal types certainly nothing that could ever get him hot. The kind of beauty he dreamed about living was currently dancing with Puck, her sweet curves, a body made for lovin' beckoning him like the sinful temptation she was. The fantasies of her had been raging through his every sleeping moment, consuming his entire soul with want, ever since that damn weekend project, driving him crazy. Returning his gaze to hers he cocked his head to the side in his classic flirty-puppy move. 'So how about it Quinn? Will you let me see if you live up to my fantasies?' Somehow he knew she'd fall far short of what he wanted, but Sam Evans was hell bent on a course of action and he was going to see it through to the end. Tugging on her hand he waited for her answer.

Quinn wasn't sure why Sam was deciding to pay so much attention to her all of a sudden, but she wasn't complaining. She liked the attention, whatever the reason for played a big part in why she loved cheerleading so much. Because whenever she set foot onto the field, and was hoisted to the top of that pyramid, she knew all eyes were on her. He caught her off guard when he anchored his hands on her hips, but it didn't bother her, in fact she relished it. She bit her lip gently, smiling a bit brighter as he spoke. She had always been told she was beautiful, since she was a little girl. But it was something she never got tired of hearing. Her palms rested at his shoulders, soaking in every compliment he had to offer her.. 'You are looking especially handsome tonight." she observed. Doing anything with a friend's boyfriend was wrong, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up. She figured if Santana ever figured it out, she'd just blame it on the alcohol. She'd always wondered if Sam was a good kisser or not…With those lips of his, how could he not be?

Quinn contemplated his suggestion, knowing that whatever fantasies he was imagining, she would more than fulfill. 'I'm sure I could more than live up to those fantasies..' she whispered, stepping closer to him. "I'm certainly willing to give it a try." Doing anything with him would technically be cheating on Mike.. but she was starting to feel the booze settle in, and she was in the mood for some spontaneous fun. 'If you think you can handle me..'

Sam smiled at Quinn's words ignoring the pang in his chest as he watched Mercedes laugh at something Puck said. He threaded his fingers through hers and dispelled the image of a disapproving Jesse his mind threw was doing this, after all it was only a few harmless kisses wasn't it? He led her to a corner by the entrance, that was clearly visible from the dance floor and vice versa, just as he wanted it to be..in full view of certain people.. Showtime Sammy, that infuriating voice whispered insistently in his mind. Gazing down and Quinn he felt bad for using her, then shoved it right to the back of his mind. He bent his head, lips barely a hair's breadth away and hesitated as out of the corner of his eye he saw Mercedes glance at them then away again as she made her way out of the entrance.

The look in her eyes shocked him for a brief moment before he found himself gazing into Quinn's expectant ones. Much against his better judgement and ignoring everything that was screaming at him to pull back he captured her lips, tongue sliding out along the seam of her lips, demanding entrance into her mouth. He explored it expertly, tongue stroking and intertwining with hers;arms instinctively going around her to pull her closer. It was…pleasant, but nothing else. His heart remained cold. and he pulled back abruptly, setting her gently away from him.

'I'm sorry,Quinn,' He ran his fingers through his hair trying to explain the indefensible. 'I shouldn't have done this. You don't deserve this…I…there's this girl..' he tried to explain taking a deep breath calming breath before continuing. 'I'm really sorry…you're a lovely girl, just…. I just…I'm sorry..' Pulling away, he strode towards the entrance pulling out his phone and typing fast. 'There's no easy way to say this but we're done. You're never around and I..kissed Quinn. This wasn't really going anywhere and we both know our hearts weren't in it.I'll see you around I guess.' He hit the send key, biting his lip, wondering how the hell it had come to this. Putting the phone away, he sighed, exiting into the dark night.._Santana is going to kill me…_


	3. Monsters Whisper All Around Me

Mercedes smiled gratefully into Puck's eyes as he pulled her onto the dance floor with a pouting demand. "Dance with me Cedes.." The exchange with Sebastian and then Sam had left her feeling vaguely unsettled and somewhat defensive. She was _not _a prude or anally retentive, as Sam Evans had once accused her of being, contrary to popular belief, she could let loose once in a while..it was just she didn't want to let Grams down. Not when the older woman had stepped in a taken care of her after the loss of her parents..She wasn't a bore.._Why do you care anyway what Sam Evans thinks? _Dismissing the thought she grinned at Puck replying "Um…yeah sure! I guess I could bust a few moves with you.." She swung her hips effortlessly to the rhythm of the music. getting lost in the smooth beat before looking back up at him, a faint frown marring her pretty face.

"…Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, raising a hand to smooth the hair back from her face.

Puck grinned wolfishly at her, eyes turning smoky with lust, even though he had just spotted Lauren somewhere over Mercedes' shoulder.

"You don't even know how sexy you are do you?' he let out, dropping his voice low.

Mercedes shifted subconsciously and shrugged lightly in dismissal." There you go with that sexy talk again. I bet you say that to all the girls…" she chuckled easily, letting him know she was not taking his words to heart.

"Baby you are sexy. End of story. Do you see me dancin' with anyone else?" he retorted, pulling her close and she darted a quick look around only to clash with irate green eyes belonging to her earlier tormentor and Puck's good friend._Sam may not find me attractive, but at least Puck does.._she thought, allowing Puck to hold her closer.

"Well, I guess we'll keep dancing then. You can get closer… I don't mind I-" she stopped mid-sentence as the world seemed to freeze around her and terrifying images of blood,fangs, claws..anger, brutal and basic assailed her mind. Shaken, she pulled away from him, her words barely audible above the sound of the music. "I uh… I think I'm going to go sit down…Thanks for the dance Puck…"

"What did I do?" he asked, a frown etched on his features, as he reached out and caught her wrist.

"Nothing…I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me- oh my gosh that sounded lame didn't it? Seriously though, I'm just feeling a little light headed. I'm gonna go sit down for a little bit…" She needed to get away from the dance floor…from him.. There was something still clawing at her, even as she thrust the frightening images out of her mind and even though she was more than likely crazy, being around Puck unsettled her further.

"Oh… Okay. Do you need water or something?" he asked, concerned, guiding her over to a chair in a shadowy corner of the room.

"Um..actually…maybe I'll take a drink. Nothing strong just…a little something. Thanks," she tried to smile reassuringly at him. One drink, she promised herself, just one and she'd leave, get home at a reasonable time. Drinking deeply from the cup he returned with, she tasted the unmistakeable taste of alcohol, her blood starting to thrum pleasantly.

A few drinks later, she had not only lost sight of Puck somewhere in the crowd, but her slight buzz as well. She wondered if it was a side-effect of her magic that she didn't stay drunk or tipsy for very long. That sort of bummed her out considering that she had decided to drink to forget about the freak she had become. Did she really get a flash of…something when dancing with Noah Puckerman? Up until that moment she had been having a pretty good time. Well, an interesting time. The bad boy of the school Puck had seemed to take an interest in her. She wasn't sure if she'd date the young man but being as though Mercedes had played by the rules most of her life the way he lived his life, unrestrained, was appealing to didn't know what to make of the vision. Something about it felt…animalistic, raw, and furious. All those images and emotions had flowed through her at the same time and…scared the shit out of her. Mercedes didn't think she'd ever get used to this. High school was hard enough, now she had to add another socially awkward label to her name: witch.

Deciding to head home she walked out of the party, spotting Sam Evans standing close to Quinn Fabray. For whatever reason anger surged through her. This boy had given her so much grief for her observation that he dated the popular girls, had the nerve to call her anally retentive, and here he was brushing up against Quinn Fabray. Proving her point exactly. She wouldn't admit it to him now, but Mercedes did get the feeling that Sam was different from Sebastian. When they worked together on the school project she had even thought he was a nice guy- she definitely acknowledged how cute he was. She looked away not wanting to witness whatever they were about to do. Mercedes walked past them and out of the house, stopping momentarily to breathe the clear night air in, before sliding behind the wheel of her car and starting out on the dark and lonely road home.

As she drove she turned up the music and sung to her heart's content. Music always soothed her. As she was getting into the song and driving down the road something flashed in front of her car and, unable to stop, she hit it head on. Stopping her car and fearing the worse the young woman hopped out and ran over to the figure that lay on the middle of the deserted road. They were motionless. Mercedes closed her eyes praying that she hadn't actually killed anyone. Bending down she screamed, "Are you okay? Oh my god. I'll call the ambulance. I am so sorry," she rushed out as she reached into her pocket to grab her phone. Before she could begin to dial a cold hand shot up from the figure and gripped her arm unnaturally tight.

"No need deary," said the slithery voice, "I'll call them for you after I'm done," it finished. Within seconds Mercedes was looking into red blood shot eyes that screamed 'hungry'.

* * *

Sam hit the steering wheel in rage and breathed deeply trying to calm down. For the first time in a hell of a long time he had let the actions of another goad him into making a mistake of near epic proportions. He'd apologised to Quinn, but the bottom line was that he'd hurt her in his ridiculous quest to make Mercedes Jones jealous. It was laughable really because Sam knew she disliked him, distrusted him, certainly had no finer feelings for him so his ridiculous quest was in fact an impossible quest. It was bordering on an obsession and he had to kick it because only knew what Sebastian would say if he found out.

Sighing he focused on the stretch of road ahead which his headlights illuminated and slammed on the brakes, willing the truck to stop before he hit whatever was in the middle of the road. His prayers were answered and as the car ground to a halt he realised with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he recognised one of the figures crouched in the middle of the road. Mercedes Jones. This night was getting better and better…a nasty shiver of awareness slithered down his spine as he took in the other creature gripping onto Mercedes tightly about to attack. It's head turned towards him and as its eyes connected with his, he knew without a doubt he was gazing into the eyes… of one of his own kind and it was about to kill Mercedes. He jumped down from the truck, grabbing the stake he kept under the driver's seat and slid it surreptitiously up the inside of his jacket sleeve.

"Get the fuck away from her," he shouted in an authoritative tone. From the looks of it this was a young vampire and whilst Sam knew that he could kill the thing easily, he didn't want to have to do it in front of a human. So he was going for the next best thing to killling it..he was going to try and scare it off. He advanced on it, circling it, refusing to meet Mercedes' frightened stare, knowing that one second's lapse in concentration could cost them both dear. "I said let her go and come deal with me," he growled struggling against the need to show his fangs, holding fast to his control in order to maintain his human semblance.

Mercedes looked down at the face of the thing gripping her hand. The man's eyes were cold and frightening and his hand felt like ice. The young woman tried to find her voice but it seemed trapped inside of her. She looked at its mouth and saw fangs protruding. Was this how she was going to die? Was this really happening? Was this thing a….vampire? As she struggled to pull away she heard a strong voice from across the way. Looking up she saw Sam Evans approaching her and the thing that had her in its grasp. The creature jumped back as Sam began circling them. Was that a stake in Sam's hand? Had she died and entered an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? She watched, frozen with fear, as Sam faced off with the monster. Was he strong enough to face it? The grip the monster had on her arm just seconds ago made her fear not only for her life, but Sam's as well. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched the two men face off. She found herself focusing on the monster with some sort of will that rose from her stomach. She felt the energy pulsate throughout her body as her eyes showed intensely on the being. In seconds she watched the vampire crouch down in agony from the pain that shot through it's brain. Had she done that? _She had..._Looking fearfully over at Sam as the monster screamed in agony she breathed out, "I think you can stake it now."

Sam watched dumbfounded as the vampire screamed in agony and his eyes shot to Mercedes. Something fishy was going on and he didn't like it one bit. "Mercedes," he said calmly "Get the hell back would you?" Walking over to the creature he grabbed it by the scruff of the neck crouching to whisper to it. "I'm Sam Evans, I guess you've heard of me. You and I are gonna take a walk behind those bushes and I'm gonna turn you into a pile of ashes we can send home to your mama in a dustbag." Hauling the hapless vampire behind said bushes , he promptly staked him and watched as the cloud of dust settled on the ground. He bit his lip. How to deal with Mercedes. He made his mind up instantly. He'd pretend that it was an everyday criminal occurrence, some gang member on TCP or the like, but he was going to try and make her believe that she hadn't just seen what she'd seen. Shock could do a lot of things to a body, he decided. The last thing he needed right now was for her to think vampires were real and for Sebastian to get wind of it. Sebastian had no problem drinking human blood and he was quite sure he'd probably have no problem killing a human either.

Backing up as Sam yelled at her to get back, Mercedes pouted slightly. He was acting like she was some sort of damsel in distress. True, she was in a way, but whatever this thing was; Sam could probably use all the help he could get. She watched intensely as Sam seemed to overpower the monster and take him behind the bushes, then promptly stepped back out, minus the horrendous creature he had taken with him. Glancing at Mercedes he began to herd her back towards her car.

"You should go and report this to the police you know. Gang members high on drugs are running around Lima Falls, you know. What possessed you to stop at this time of night?" The last was said with a tone of anger threading through it. He couldn't help it;she had put herself unnecessarily at risk and potentially put him in a very real predicament of her knowing exactly who and what he was. He walked over to her car opened the door and said "You should go," he didn't want to give her any opportunity to question him on the matter, but looking over at her and seeing the look on her face he wondered if the fates would allow him to get away so easily.

"Gang members? In Lima Falls? Since when," she asked disbelievingly. She wasn't stupid. That thing was no gang member. Hearing the anger in his tone as he questioned why she'd stop made Mercedes shiver. The look on his face was frightening and…sexy in twisted way. Mercedes looked away shocked that the thought had just entered her brain. When the heck did she start thinking with words like 'sexy'? Avoiding his gaze and marching up to the door of her car he held open for her, she stood toe to toe with Sam. "I stopped because that…thing hit my car. I thought I killed someone. So I stopped and got out to check. That was not some gang member. I don't know what kind of circles you run in with but that thing you just took behind the bushes wasn't human," she challenged.

Sam gritted his teeth as he realised his explanation was not going to cut it with her and somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered why he had even thought for a split second she would fall for it in the first place.

"I don't run in any kind of circles, darlin', let's get that straight. Now you listen and you listen good. You do not tell anyone about what happened here. Not a soul or I swear I'll tell everyone you're crazy. There is shit going on in this town that you don't need to know about. And that creature is part of it. You get in your car and you go home. Congratulate yourself on your good fortune in still being alive, celebrate by sexting with Puck, I don't care what you do but you forget it. This is not for little girls like you to get mixed up in. Next time something jumps out at you like that, take my advice and reverse back over it. Or better yet, don't stop at is not some sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer game. Leave the shit that goes on in the dark, to those that know best. And that is not you. I ever see you pull something like you did tonight, I'll make sure you won't sit down for a week. Are we clear?" he finished, glowering blackly at her.

Not waiting for an answer he turned and started walking away, hoping that she had heard the very clear warning in his tone, and she would leave him the hell alone. The last thing he needed was a nosy human, poking her nose where it didn't belong and making life difficult. Especially if it was that wondered for the one hundredth time since he'd met her what exactly he had done in his extremely long lifetime to fall for a girl like her.

Mercedes watched with her eyes brows raised high as Sam ranted at her about staying out of things and how she needed to mind her own business. She couldn't be quite sure but she figured that his last sentence implied that he would spank her if she disobeyed. As she watched him turn, basically dismissing her, and walking away, Mercedes quickly closed her door and walked swiftly after him. Tapping him on his shoulder for him to stop and look at her she pointed her finger at his chest.

"Let's get one thing straight. My daddy died seven years ago, so as far as I can see you are not him. So don't tell me what to do," She began as she poked at his chest with every syllable, "Furthermore, you know nothing about me and what I know about things that go bump in the night. I'm not just some clichéd damsel in distress waiting for some strong man like you to come save her. I can handle my own just fine. I know what I saw. That thing was a vampire, and no I won't pretend I didn't see it. Do you think I'm stupid enough to go walking around school saying what I saw anyway? I know how crazy it sounds," she trailed off catching her breath. "Now, I'm not going to ask how you know what that thing is because clearly you're set on being a complete asshole to me but despite that," she paused taking a deep breath, "Thank you," she finished.

Looking away from him she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It could have been worse if you hadn't come along," looking over to stare into his intense green eyes she smiled despite the situation. "I'm pretty sure people don't fight gang members with stakes," she said referring to his weapon of choice. Turning on her heels and reaching her door she looked back at him. "My grandmother's out of town until tomorrow and although I can handle myself, I'm a little freaked out and," she stopped wondering if this was the best idea, "I was wondering if you could follow me home in your car just in case…one of those things come back," she finished waiting for his reply.

The girl was crazy, it was official. He sighed and looked over at her knowing already he was going to agree to what she asked. 'Fine, I can at least make sure you keep yourself out of trouble,' An awful thought assailed him in the next instant. What if the vampire attack hadn't been random. Sure the vampires were always looking for a quick snack but to go to all the trouble of jumping in front of a car…on a road. Something set alarm bells ringing in Sam's mind.

"Your grandma's not here?" He had a very bad feeling about this. "Look is there someone you can stay with? Zizes, Berry, Quinn…hell even Puck? I don't really think you should go into your house alone.'"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Would you stop talking down to me like I'm some toddler? We're the same age. You're not my elder or anything," she said. "Yes, she's out of town until tomorrow night. Quinn was still at the party when I left earlier. I'm sure you would know that," she started, surprised at how she spat out the part of Sam probably knowing where Quinn was. It wasn't like she actually cared that he was all over her at the party earlier, right? "There's no way I'm staying the night at Puck's place. I'm sure he wouldn't try anything but I don't need all of Lima Falls talking," she finished.

Sam bit his lip as his brain started to try and put pieces together "..there's no way of knowing..they could come back for her.." he muttered to himself before he snapped out of it. "Trust me on this. You can't stay in that house on your own." Peering at her closely he said "Why are they coming after you? What is it that you have that attracts them? You did something to that vamp to make him cower in pain like he did.."

Mercedes knew that she would be safe once she reached her grandmother's due to the spell her grandmother had upon the house so that had to be her goal now to get to the house hopefully in one piece… Nothing could come into the house if it meant to do them harm, her grandmother had told her. She wasn't going to admit that to Sam though.

Feeling exposed under his intense gaze Mercedes looked away, "I don't know why that thing came after me. I'm just a regular girl remember," she replied sarcastically.

He shook his head "No matter. You need to forget about this. We'll get you to someplace safe but after that leave it the hell alone. You may think you can handle yourself, but trust me you don't know what's out there. That dude was only the tip of the iceberg. You have no business meddling in this. I'm not saying it to be an asshole, I'm saying it because I know exactly what's out there and a girl like you doesn't have a prayer against it. So Mercedes, where is it going to be?"

Shaking her head, tired of the young man trying to dictate her actions, Mercedes turned and got into her car. Starting the ignition she looked out at the handsome young man."I'm going to my grandmother's house like I said. Now you can stand in the middle of the road and continue to lecture me or," she paused as she revved up the engine, "You can follow me there and make sure I get in okay. Up to you," she said as she began to pull off. Even with all of her bravado she silently prayed that Sam would follow her.

Sighing he swung himself into his truck angrily and switched the ignition on. He had no choice but to follow her and he had a feeling she had damned well known that. He followed her closely through the town's streets until she pulled up outside of a house. Not imposing like the mansion he, Jesse and Sebastian shared, but pleasant looking none the less. He switched off the ignition and hopped out walking around to intercept her as she got out of the driver's door. "Mercedes," he tried again. "I'm not doing this out of spite or anything. You need to mind your own business on this one. I once thought that Puck and his sex shark ways were dangerous enough for you to get caught up in but this is , far, far worse. Spend your days shopping or whatever else it is you do…heck go out with Puck , I'm sure he can provide with drama should you feel the need for it, but please..please forget about this."

Mercedes reached her and her grandmother's house and was happy to see that Sam had followed her in his truck. Was it weird that she felt some sort of…security knowing he was around? It probably had to do with him saving her life moments ago, she rationalized. As he stalked over to her, Mercedes looked into his green eyes as he ranted at her. She wanted to get angry but there was something weird she felt pulsating through her as they seemed to be standing so close to one another. Some sort of force, the intensity of his gaze seemed all but too much to her. Yet, she stood her ground in front of him.

He blinked as he realised how close she was standing, his gaze drifting down to her lips. Her soft, plump, kissable lips. He bit his bottom lip before realizing he was fighting a losing battle. Bending his head he captured her lips and traced her bottom lip with his tongue, demanding entrance. He deepened the kiss, arms going around her, pulling her into him. His preternatural senses could her the rush of blood surging through her jugular and he was suddenly assailed but the need to feed. His eyes flew open in panic. He could control it dammit. He knew he could…_go on taste her_…_I bet her blood is sooo sweet_…the voice inside him muttered insistently. Never had he had such a reaction to a human being. He felt his fangs elongating and he pulled away appalled, managing to somehow subdue the bloodlust coursing through his system.

Before Mercedes could process what was happening his lips were on hers. She felt his tongue trace her bottom lip and involuntarily her mouth opened to receive him. Her body betrayed her further as her hands gripped at the front of his shirt keeping him there as he seemed to kiss her senseless. Her pulse was racing as suddenly she got a flash of images throughout her brain. She saw glimpses of fear, loneliness, and…desire.

"You leave this the fuck alone," he said pushing her further away although gently. "I don't know who the fuck you are…but stay away from me.." He backed away from her, heading for his truck, his sole focus on getting the hell out of there.

Mercedes stood shocked and dazed. In a matter of moments Sam had pulled away from her and was telling her to stay away from him. It took a moment to register that he was walking away as she called after him. "What the heck is your deal Sam Evans," she started, "You call me anal earlier, then you're all over Quinn Fabray at the party, you save my life, kiss me, then tell me to stay away from you. I don't get it," she finished frustrated. He didn't stop though, just got behind the wheel of the truck and started the her head she walked towards her front door. Stopping she looked back at him, "Despite what you think I'm not some regular girl," she paused, looking into his eyes, "And something tells me you're not some regular run of the mill pretty boy jock either," she said. "I won't mention what happened and," she stopped for some reason feeling sad, "I'll stay away from you. Thank you again," she finished, and within moments she entered her house and closed the door.


	4. Calm Before The Storm

Sam paced, irritated, in the formal living room of the St James mansion, pining his 'cousin' and best friend of over two centuries with a black scowl. "Where the fuck have you been?I had a problem last night..." He'd been trying to get hold of Jesse ever since returning back from his encounter with Mercedes and the vampire to no avail, and now finding him back in the St James residence, his frustration was boiling over.

**"**Language Samuel..."Jesse smiled, infuriatingly indolently."What did you do? "

**"**I did fuck all. This was not my fault, " Sam shook his head, annoyed." Remember that girl at McKinley?..Mercedes Jones? She got into a bit of trouble with a vampire.

**"**And was that vampire you? " A sardonic smile quirked Jesse's lips.

**"** What?! No! Focus dude! If you're not gonna take this seriously...It wasn't me. Why would you even think it was me!" he snapped, rolling his eyes.

**"**I am taking this seriously Why would you bring it up if it wasn't you. " He looked down at his nails, as if bored. "Forgive me for knowing that not everyone has the same control over themselves that I do."

**" ** I'm not Sebastian talking like Charles Dickens and listen! I came across her on the way back from the party. She was standing in the middle of the road with a vampire about to attack. I stopped and I tried to get it to back down because I didn't want to kill it in front of her.."

That certainly caught Jesse's attention and he leaned forward, suddenly alert. "Damn it, Sam. what did she see?"

"Everything apart from me killing it. The weird thing was that she brought it to its knees although I'm pretty sure she has no idea how she did it. I had to grab and stake it out of her sight. I tried to rationalize it but she wasn't having any of it. I followed her home as she asked but.. I'm pretty sure I fucked up. I kissed her. And then suddenly I had an overwhelming need to drink from her. Like nothing I've experienced ever before and I almost couldn't control it..It freaked me out so I backed the hell up and told her to keep away from me... Sebastian can't know that she knows...about vampires. Swear to me Jesse..." A rare emotion shone from the depths of his green eyes..fear. For Mercedes. Sebastian Smythe was a loose a loose canon, had been for the century and a half he had known him..homicidal and unstable. The only thing keeping him in line had been Jesse..but these days Sam was unsure that even Jesse could restrain Sebastian bloodthirsty urges fully and if Sebastian knew that someone else, someone _human_ was close to uncovering their secret, he might just set his sights on Mercedes.

**"**Great...This is just..great...So that's what she was doing in the library in town his morning.." Jesse sighed, a frown marring his face. "She was looking around the occult and supernatural section...I passed her on my way to the town council meeting.."'Okay...okay..calm down. I swear. This isn't that bad. She was drunk, after all. ..We keep this quiet and Sebastian won't know anything.."

**"**I don't think she was drunk Jesse. The thing that worries me is the way they attacked her. Since when do vamps throw themselves in front of cars to score a meal?I just get the feeling there's more to why they attacked her and more to her than meet's the if she's snooping around..that isn't a good thing.." He admitted, biting his lip.

"The desperate ones will do anything. Don't look too far into it. It was just a bottom feeder.." Jesse shrugged, his earlier concern melting from his eyes.

**"**Whatever I know what I saw. She brought that thing to its knees without even doing anything. I'm not paranoid.." he insisted doggedly.

"We''ll keep an eye on her... _and Sebastian.._Just.. act like nothing is different. Like it didn't happen." Jesse reassured him, laconically. Sam side eyed him hard. Act like nothing was different? He doubted Mercedes was going to be so willing to go along with the latest St James plan.

**"**Also what the hell happened to my door? Sebastian's shit has got to stop. He's fucking insane! He left a damn bloodsucking _whore_ in my bed.." Sam scowled, addressing the second point on his agenda. He'd returned home to find the door to his room hanging off its hinges and an amorous female vampire stripping for him on his bed. Jaw set grimly, he had grabbed the hapless girl and removed her forcibly from the property, the threat of a stake through the chest more than enough to persuade her to leave.

**"**Knowing him it's his idea of a gift... " Jesse sighed as Sam made a disbelieving scoffing noise."If I could I'd kick him out. But you know him...He has as much right to this house as we do.."

**"**He's going to get us into shit one day. He's dangerous." Sam prophesized darkly.

**"**Which is why it's better to have him here than ruining our lives where we can't watch him." Jesse rejoined.

**"**Why can't we just box him and send him to Cuba or someplace far?I wouldn't give a shit what he was doing so long as he was far, far away. He's ruining our lives just by being here. People think we're like him..."Sam grumbled, frowning.

**"**We _are_ like him, technically. Just don't give anyone a reason to believe it. " Jesse said rising to gaze out from the huge windows overlooking the vast grounds of the mansion.**"**Oh. I'm hiring a gardener. I've been told that might lighten up the house and make us less.. us. "

**"** I'm talking about posting his ass on a one-way ticket to somewhere far away and you're talking about hiring a damned gardener?! I have an idea...let's wait til the sun is really strong, hide Sebatian's ring and shove him outside with a hoe to do the garden. It would kill two birds with one stone..." Sam suggested, twisting his own ring on his hand, the lapis lazuli stones that granted him the ability to walk in daylight with the rest of the human inhabitants of Lima falls, clearly visible.**"** Who the hell gave you that useless advice?" he snorted, shaking his head.

**"**Mercedes did. When I bumped into her yesterday at that Puckerman kid's party.."Jesse shrugged. "Maybe she's right..and we need to _lighten_ the mood around here.." he mused, eyes still fixed on the grounds.

"Figures.. So is that a yes to the Sebastian thing? We can dust bust the ashes afterwards..." he asked hopefully.

"We're not killing my cousin. " Jesse stated flatly, turning to face him.

**"**So the fact that he could stake us in our beds doesn't bother you at all?..OK..well don't come crying to me when he stakes you in your bed and everything you are fits into an ashtray.." Sam retorted heading for the door. "And tell him to shove his gifts where the sun don't shine. The next time he attempts that shit, I'm going to close his ass up into the useless sun bed you bought. Truth." Not waiting for a reply he left the room, pulling out his phone and beginning to type the text he knew he needed to send. Mercedes was researching their kind, what Jesse had seen this morning in town all but confirmed it. He had to make sure Mercedes stayed away and safe, and if this was the way to do it, so be it.

* * *

Mercedes held the phone close to her ear as her other hand fingered the necklace her grandmother had given her, telling her it had incantations of protection on it, that might one day serve her well. "So..what happened to you after the party? I tried texting you last night..It was kind of crazy..' she asked her friend Lauren Zizes, biting her lip as she debated on telling her about her weird encounter with the vampire..and Sam. '

"I don't even know what happened after my like 6th shot. I blacked out...I don't even know how I got home," Lauren chuckled." But I had a good time..Is that a good crazy or a bad crazy?"

" Well, I'm glad you had a good time. " Mercedes hesitated. "…Well…a mixture of good and bad crazy. "Well, I danced with Puck. That was fun..." she bit her lip unconsciously holding her breath for her friend's reaction. For a while now she had suspected, Lauren might be feeling a certain kind of way about the bad boy and the last thing she wanted was to hurt her, especially given she had figured out that her own feelings towards him were purely platonic and nothing else. "Then everything else went to crap..."

"Oh yeah? You "danced" with Puck did ya? " her friend replied evenly, her voice unreadable."Why...what happened?"

"It was just dancing Lauren.." she assured her firmly. "I don't want you to think I'm crazy or a complete weirdo. .."she trailed off uncertainly.

"It's never just dancing with Puck," her friend shot back, amusement tinging her tone. "I won't. Just tell me. Can't leave me hanging here girl!"

"Well, it was just dancing for me. Although he is cute.." she teased lightly. "On my way home last night..I hit something..."

"…Yeah. I would say more like hot, but whatever you say. …You hit something? What do you mean you hit something?" Lauren's tone was now alert.

."..I hit something, as in I hit something with my car…and it wasn't human. Well…it looked human at first…" Mercedes winced at how crazy she was sure it must sound. For some reason she held back from mentioning Sam.

"Shit Merce. First off, are you okay? Second, how wasn't it human, but looked human?" Lauren was sounding confused and a little bit freaked out.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Still a little shaken up… Well it looked human because I guess at one time it was but…I didn't think things like that existed, but then again I'm learning a lot of new things lately… Lauren, it was a vampire. I'm sure of it. " she gripped the phone tightly, praying Lauren wouldn't hang up..or worse..laugh.

"It attacked you?! …Shit Merce. I just, I don't...Really..I don't know what to believe. I want to believe you but it just seems so far fetched it's hard to…A vampire..? In Lima Falls? You sure it wasn't some sort of cosplay shit?" Lauren suggested soothingly.

"Yes! It attacked me… So you don't believe me? Fine…forget I said anything..." Mercedes wished like hell she had kept her mouth shut. "I was probably hallucinating- it was late. Maybe it was just some crazy fool with fake fangs…forget about it. " she attempted a laugh that sounded hollow to even her own ears.

"I…But…How can you be so sure that it was a vampire? They don't exist Mercedes!" Lauren exclaimed, clearly not letting it go.

"Because it attacked me and I felt like…I knew it wanted blood. It's eyes were… They exist Lauren!" she huffed, annoyed, knowing she sounded insane but willing her friend to believe her. "You'd be surprised what actually exists in this world…You think I'm crazy don't you?"

There was a long,pregnant pause before Lauren sighed. "No! I'm just scared Merce. If it's real, or just a psycho that's just messed up. What the hell else is out there then? "

"I'm scared too Lauren..." she admitted, quietly. "Freaked out actually…There's plenty out there…and I just hope..that I never see what I did last night, again." Her phoned buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket glancing at it, then stilling as she read the name of the sender. Sam. Unwittingly her heart slowed down then sped up, racing as she thought of the blonde who had helped her the previous night. 'I..have to go Laur...Look..its probably me not getting enough sleep or whatever," she dismissed, eyes widening as she read the message he had sent her.

"Merce...?" Lauren said hesitantly, her tone deadly serious. "I believe you...We can talk about this later..."

"Really?..I'm not crazy, Laur.." Mercedes said in a low voice. "Thank you..At least I don't feel alone in this anymore...

"You're never alone," her friend asserted confidently. "You have me...Gotta go, babe. Take care alright? And don't do anything dangerous.."

"And you have me," she replied grinning. "I won't..You too...Bye.." she answered before hanging up. She read through the text again, and squared her shoulders. If he meant to frighten her, there was no way in hell he had succeeded.

-_I know you've been snooping around..and you need to stop. It's not safe. I need you to meet me at the cemetery in town..tonight. 9pm. I have something to show you. Sam.' _ She'd be there alright..and she'd get some answers, come hell or high water.

* * *

Lauren sat staring at the calendar in front of her desk, long after she had finished talking to Mercedes and bit her lip. Only a few more days to the full moon..and the howls would echo through the air once more, in the dead of night. She shivered unconsciously. Vampires... This town was getting way too dangerous...


	5. Tenderness and Tombstones

Sam frowned as he came down the stairs to Jesse's call, his face darkening further as he took the figure standing in front of his cousin and he mentally prepared himself for a fight.

"Santana.." he greeted his ex-girlfriend, unsmiling.

"Well if you'll excuse me, " Jesse said looking in between them, "I think this is probably best left between the two of you..Just…don't hurt him too much, Santana.." He retreated back into the mansion as Sam moved to stand in the doorframe, eyeing her warily.

"Guess who just found their phone?" she sing-singed, waving her phone in front of him. " Why?! You large lipped coward! You didn't even have the balls to say it to my face!? Como te atreves!? Te hare dano! You fucking kissed Quinn Fabray…And you were seen sneaking around late at night with Mercedes Jones not to mention kissing her!'"

He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "I've been calling you and looking for you...its not my fault if you've been too busy with 'other' things! English please Santana. And don't bring Mercedes into this.."

"Callate idiota! Well excuse me for having a life outside of you. Not all of us can be stuck up our boyfriend's asses…" she eyed him angrily. "You're an asshole Evans….Are you dating Mercedes? Are you?! Answer me!"

"What's your issue? How long did you see this lasting?! Considering I heard you were screwing around behind my back…" he eyed her incredulously."Or is it because for the first time ever you got dumped?Get over yourself… Look Santana, bottom line is I don't have any feelings for you. I'm sorry. That's the best I can do.I'm not dating Mercedes," he told her firmly, the tone in his voice unapologetic.

"Whatever, guppie lips. Sleep with one eye open…" she huffed in disgust, anger flashing in her dark eyes.

"What is your deal?What is it you want from me?" he asked her, voice terse, all semblance of patience gone.

"First you break up with me through a text message and now you're acting like you're the victim. You're the one who needs to get over yourself!" she practically screamed at him, furious.

"I told you woman! I couldn't get hold of you.I've apologized. What more do you want? Look this conversation is going around in circles..Let's just agree to stay broken up. The end." He was starting to get a nasty headache just listening to her rage.

"So let me get this straight. You can break up with someone through a text message, not get a response and assume it's okay to kiss another girl?Wow. I never knew that. I'm learning a lot today!" she spat sarcastically. " Thing is Trouty, you were MINE and I don't share!"

"I broke up with you. Whatever response you would have given would have been pointless. It was not going to change the status of us being broken up.I kissed her because I wanted to..and again I assumed we were broken up." he sighed, as if explaining it to a recalcitrant child.

"What about Fabray?! WHERE WAS THE RESPECT FOR ME WHEN YOU WHEN STUFFING YOUR TONGUE DOWN THAT BITCH'S THROAT?" She slapped his chest, hard and he caught her wrists in his hand easily.

"Stop it. Quinn was a mistake. I'm man enough to admit that. But again..It happened after we were broken up."

" I didn't sleep with any other guy, Sam.." she looked at him, shaking her head. "Unlike you I'm not a whore."

"I'm not a whore, Santana. I broke up with you before I kissed Mercedes…or Quinn.I haven't slept with either of them..We're over..we were a while back if we're is not enough to base a relationship on. I'm sorry if I've hurt you but that's the way it is.." he had the grace to look away, sighing in regret. While dating her had not been his smartest decision ever, he _was_ sorry he hurt her.

" You know what? Forget you Sam Evans! I gave you my body..exclusively, whether you want to believe that or not! And this is how you treat me..Screw you..and screw Mercedes! And that fucking bitch Fabray..I hope you sleep easy in your bed tonight, Sam..because it sure as hell won't be for long!" she snarled, as she turned on her heel and stalked down the drive.

Shutting the door, he sighed the froze as he caught sight of Sebastian leaning indolently on the balustrade at the foot of the stairs.

'So..does that mean Lopez's pussy is vacant..?" Sebastian grinned, a cruel light shining from his eyes.

"Don't talk about her like that.." Sam bit out. Sure Santana had been offensive, but she was hurt and maybe, a tiny voice in the back of his mind nagged him, _you deserved it.._

"Just sayin'..I'm in need of a warm hole tonight..Blaine is proving..difficult to seduce…" Sebastian drawled, shrugging his shoulders.

'I don't want to know..Just go away and impale yourself on something will you.." he retorted, moving past Sebastian to pick up his truck keys from a small console table in the hallway.

"Maybe I will take your advice..and impale..oh say..Mercedes Jones on me.." In a blink of an eye, Sam had Sebastian pinned against the stairway wall, his eyes feral, fangs elongated. "Fucking touch her and I'll dust you myself..don't give a shit what Jesse says.." He let him go, shoving him hard and walked away without another word, grabbing his keys and leaving the house, the front door crashing shut in his wake..

"Interesting…very interesting.." Sebastian grinned wickedly. "Such anger..What a turn on..Hmm..Mercedes..the perfect way to get to Sam. I'll file that away for later…"

Jesse's call, his face darkening further as he took the figure standing in front of his cousin and he mentally prepared himself for a fight.

"Santana.." he greeted his ex-girlfriend, unsmiling.

"Well if you'll excuse me, " Jesse said looking in between them, "I think this is probably best left between the two of you..Just…don't hurt him too much, Santana.." He retreated back into the mansion as stand moved to stand in the doorframe, eyeing her warily.

"Guess who just found their phone?" she sing-singed, waving her phone in front of him. " Why?! You large lipped coward! You didn't even have the balls to say it to my face!? Como te atreves!? Te hare dano! You fucking kissed Quinn Fabray…And you were seen sneaking around late at night with Mercedes Jones not to mention kissing her!'"

He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "I've been calling you and looking for you...its not my fault if you've been too busy with 'other' things! English please Santana. And don't bring Mercedes into this.."

"Callate idiota! Well excuse me for having a life outside of you. Not all of us can be stuck up our boyfriend's asses…" she eyed him angrily. "You're an asshole Evans….Are you dating Mercedes? Are you?! Answer me!"

"What's your issue? How long did you see this lasting?! Considering I heard you were screwing around behind my back…" he eyed her incredulously."Or is it because for the first time ever you got dumped?Get over yourself… Look Santana, bottom line is I don't have any feelings for you. I'm sorry. That's the best I can do.I'm not dating Mercedes," he told her firmly, the tone in his voice unapologetic.

"Whatever, guppie lips. Sleep with one eye open…" she huffed in disgust, anger flashing in her dark eyes.

"What is your deal?What is it you want from me?" he asked her, voice terse, all semblance of patience gone.

"First you break up with me through a text message and now you're acting like you're the victim. You're the one who needs to get over yourself!" she practically screamed at him, furious.

"I told you woman! I couldn't get hold of you.I've apologized. What more do you want? Look this conversation is going around in circles..Let's just agree to stay broken up. The end." He was starting to get a nasty headache just listening to her rage.

"So let me get this straight. You can break up with someone through a text message, not get a response and assume it's okay to kiss another girl?Wow. I never knew that. I'm learning a lot today!" she spat sarcastically. " Thing is Trouty, you were MINE and I don't share!"

"I broke up with you. Whatever response you would have given would have been pointless. It was not going to change the status of us being broken up.I kissed her because I wanted to..and again I assumed we were broken up." he sighed, as if explaining it to a recalcitrant child.

"What about Fabray?! WHERE WAS THE RESPECT FOR ME WHEN YOU WHEN STUFFING YOUR TONGUE DOWN THAT BITCH'S THROAT?" She slapped his chest, hard and he caught her wrists in his hand easily.

"Stop it. Quinn was a mistake. I'm man enough to admit that. But again..It happened after we were broken up."

" I didn't sleep with any other guy, Sam.." she looked at him, shaking her head. "Unlike you I'm not a whore."

"I'm not a whore, Santana. I broke up with you before I kissed Mercedes…or Quinn.I haven't slept with either of them..We're over..we were a while back. I'm sorry if I've hurt you but that's the way it is.." he had the grace to look away, sighing in regret. While dating her had not been his smartest decision ever, he was sorry he hurt her.

" You know what? Forget you Sam Evans! I gave you my body..exclusively, whether you want to believe that or not! And this is how you treat me..Screw you..and screw Mercedes! And that fucking bitch Fabray..I hope you sleep easy in your bed tonight, Sam..because it sure as hell won't be for long!" she snarled, as she turned on her heel and stalked down the drive.

Shutting the door, he sighed the froze as he caught sight of Sebastian leaning indolently on the balustrade at the foot of the stairs.

'So..does that mean Lopez's pussy is vacant..?" Sebastian grinned, a cruel light shining from his eyes.

"Don't talk about her like that.." Sam bit out. Sure Santana had been offensive, but she was hurt and maybe, a tiny voice in the back of his mind nagged him, _you deserved it.._

"Just sayin'..I'm in need of a warm hole tonight..Blaine is proving..difficult to seduce…" Sebastian drawled, shrugging his shoulders.

'I don't want to know..Just go away and impale yourself on something will you.." he retorted, moving past Sebastian to pick up his truck keys from a small console table in the hallway.

"Maybe I will take your advice..and impale..oh say..Mercedes Jones on me.." In a blink of an eye, Sam had Sebastian pinned against the stairway wall, his eyes feral, fangs elongated. "Fucking touch her and I'll dust you myself..don't give a shit what Jesse says.." He let him go, shoving him hard and walked away without another word, grabbing his keys and leaving the house, the front door crashing shit in his wake..

"Interesting…very interesting.." Sebastian grinned wickedly. "Such anger..What a turn on..Hmm..Mercedes..the perfect way to get to Sam. I'll file that away for later…"

* * *

Mercedes looked around her quickly, the skin on her arms roughening with goosebumps which she knew were not due to the cool Lima Falls air. Truth be told she was beyond creeped out as she faced the eerie and imposing cemetery gates, the light of her small flashlight, the only thing to guide her towards the darkness beyond. "What possessed me to agree to this. I must be crazy," she muttered, as she tried to shake off the feeling she was being watched, advancing into the misty gloom. Peering into the darkness, she felt her mouth go dry as she tried to make up the shape up ahead, some way front of her…_Was it moving?_ She never even saw the attack coming from behind.

Cursing Santana for delaying him, he quickened his steps as the cemetery gates came into view, his preternatural senses picking up Mercedes' scent easily, a chill running down his spine as he realised she was not waiting at the entrance but had walked into the grounds some way as evidenced by the paltry arc of light he could see weaving through the darkness up ahead. Moving seamlessly swiftly and noiselessly he came up behind her from behind her placing an around her shoulder and his other hand on her mouth, lifting her easily and taking her over to sit on the top of a small crypt as she struggled like a demon possessed in his grip.

Fear was choking her, making it hard to breathe, her heart pounding like a loud drum in her ears, before her body recognised instinctively who it was that was holding her. The warmth, his scent, surrounded her instantly and she stopped struggling as he carefully removed his hand from her mouth. 'Are you nuts!' she all but shrieked at him, anger suffusing her face. He clamped a hand back over her mouth, eyes darting quickly around them before turning back to her, frowning. 'No you don't Mercedes…I'll remove my hand, if you promise not to scream,' he told her, his tone low and firm. She narrowed her eyes at him but had no choice but to nod her acquiescence, wondering with a a shiver, if in fact this boy posed a threat she had failed to associate him with.

He removed his hand slowly, standing back from her a bit and explained,"I brought you here to tell you to forget about what you saw the other night. I know you've been snooping and it stops right have no place in my world and if something were to happen to you…you're too much of a liability so stay out of it." His voice was ice cold and deadly serious leaving her in no doubt that he was very much expecting her to obey his edict.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes.._Who the hell did he think he was? _"You have no idea about my world. I'm not some regular girl. I can handle myself," she retorted, brown eyes focusing on green, the message blazing in them loud and clear-she was not backing down and she was not letting any of it go.

"And you have no idea about mine. You don't want to get into this, trust me…' Sam rejoined, eyes narrowing to green chips as he read the determination in her eyes. _No matter,_ he thought with a mental shrug, _there are other ways to skin a cat.._ "But if you won't listen to reason, then I'm going to have to make you," he smiled slightly, leaning forwards, eyes fixed unwaveringly on hers. "Don't worry sweetness, it won't hurt a bit." Mercedes frowned confused, growing slightly warmer as Sam moved closer to her,awareness of how close his lips were, washing over her.

"What ..what…are you doing," she whispered, her breath catching in her throat.

Not breaking his stare and speaking slowly as if to a child, Sam enunciated clearly. 'You are going to forget all about last night. That thing that you saw on the road never existed. I never saved you, I didn't kill it and I never kissed you…" Satisfied, he drew back slowly, only to frown in confusion as she voiced her reaction to his action. Meeting his stare back as she raised her eyebrows.

"Why are you talking to me like I'm two? Just because you tell me to forget everything doesn't mean I will." she huffed, crossing her arms, in a show of defiance.

Sam frowned, thrown off and tried once more, this time exerting the full force of his will on the stubborn girl in front of him. "You will forget everything from the time you left the party last night. There was no vampire, I didn't meet you and there was no kiss."

"Ha!" she punched the air triumphantly, "So you admit it was a vampire!" she exclaimed before looking away from him, voice quietening as she voiced the question, "Was the kiss that bad that you want to forget it?"

"It's not working! Why the fuck is it not working?" he railed at himself more than her before focusing on her once more."I thought you said you already knew," he said dismissively, his mind working overtime as he tried to figure out what exactly had gone wrong. Eyes wide at her last question, he ordered, "Don't talk about that."

Mercedes had enough, clearly Sam Evans was patently not stable and she had seen more than enough of his brand of crazy to last a lifetime. "Look, you're going to have to stop with the commands. I get it, you're concerned for me but…I told you I'm not some regular girl." Getting off the crypt she backed away slowly from him. "Was this just some weird joke to get me out to the cemetery so you could creep me out? Some sort of ridiculous prank you get off on?"

Sam shook his head, eyes incredulous as he barked at her, "And I told you , you have no place in my world! Do you think this is some kind of joke? I don't know whether you've noticed but people are fucking disappearing!" Changing tact, he advanced on her figuring she might just simply be wilful and stubborn, and that he needed to lower her defenses before trying to compel her again.A slow grin spreading over his face he pulled her into his arms.

"Your world? Excuse you but this is more my scene than it is yours and-," she stopped as his arms banded around her, before trying to calmly continue even though she was aware of the tell tale fluttering pulse at the base of her throat, revealing that she was not as collected as she wanted to make out she was."I know people are disappearing. That's why I'm here in this dark cemetery because you pretended to be someone who was going to help me..What are you doing?!"

" You really don't get out much do you?" he mocked sardonically. "What do you think I'm doing?'"he whispered against her lips before he captured them insistently, teeth biting into the plump deliciousness of her bottom lip, tongue then snaking out to sooth the tiny graze. He deepened the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth sinuously as he pressed his body closely to hands dropped to her hips, pulling her lower half flush against him, letting her feel the spark they were generating as his lips and tongue plundered her mouth, moving indolently slow over her lips, branding her with deliberation.

"Ohh…" she sighed as he body couldn't help but respond to his touch. She allowed him to kiss her deeply as her arms encircled his midsection, a force pulsating throughout her body making her feel like she was on fire- but in a good way. She surprised herself by the wanton moan that escaped her lips, into the eerie night air.

He all but forgot to stay in control,hearing her moan and tensing in reaction,his hand cupping the back of her head holding her in place. He lifted her then, not breaking the kiss and put her back on the top of the crypt so that they were eye to his mouth away from hers, he kissed her exposed neck, tongue running over the thick pulse of the sweetest blood her could ever imagine surging through her jugular vein. "So sweet," he groaned against her skin, before his mouth dived back on her lips and his tonguewarred for dominance with hers. Her hands gripped the front of his shirt as she pulled him closer, her body feeling like it was radiating energy as she continued to let Sam kiss her. She felt like her mind was racing as she struggled to keep the energy surging through her under control. Suddenly there was a loud burst as the lens in her flashlight exploded, shards of glass flying towards the ground where she had been pointing it. Pulling away from Sam, breathless, she looked wide eyed at her ruined flashlight, knowing she was the cause of it and wondering how the hell to explain it. "I should go," she said, panicked as she tried once more to get down from the crypt.

Sam locked his arms tightly against her as he pulled away from her, panting hard and said in a low, driven tone "You will forget what happened last night. There was no vampire and I didn't kiss you then or now." Desperation licked nastily at his spine as he realised,looking into her eyes, that she was not falling under his thrall at all.

"Sam, what is your issue?" she hissed, angry. "First you scare me in the cemetery, tell me to butt out, then you kiss me again, and then you tell me to forget..about vampires..and about both kisses. What is your damage!" she finished frustrated, finally managing to hop down from the crypt.

Realization dawned swift and heavy. "What the fuck are you? Werewolf? Witch? Come on dammit, what the hell are you? That's the only reason the compel didn't work…" Sam ranted, shaking her slightly. 'What the hell are you..?!'

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice high and panicked as she tried to get past him. He pulled her back, roughly into his arms and refused to let go. "My guess is a witch…is that what you are? Is that why the compel isn't working…Answer me dammit!"

"And if I am," she screamed,frustration boiling over. "You better get off of me before I set your ass on fire," she threatened direly as she continued to struggle. He kissed her again, this time angrily, shoving her up against the tomb, hips pressed to the cradle of hers, starting to grind against her. "Take the goddamn spell off!" he hissed, eyes frighteningly dark, before he kissed her again.

She involuntarily responded to his kiss, getting lost in it, before common sense prevailed and she pushed against his chest, ripping her mouth away. "What are you talking about? I don't have any spell on you. I just learned I was a witch last week…Let me go!"

"I don't believe you…now take it off!' he demanded before he kissed her again one hand bunching the hem her shirt, the other grazing the warm skin of her midriff. "That's why I want you so much…isn't it? Because you've put a spell on me. I'm telling you now, take it off..this is your last warning.." he ordered the look in his eyes feral.

He was crazy.._she _was crazy, but for the life of her she couldn't shake how turned on she was by his touch, her breathing becoming heavy."I told you I don't have a spell on you," she began as tears clouded her vision, "I wouldn't do that to someone. I'd never do that," she pleaded, her hand rising to cup his face.

"I can't feel this way about you…" he bit out pushing his body away from hers, taking her hand and marching her at a quick pace towards the entrance of the cemetery. "Get out of here…please. Don't involve yourself in this and keep far, far away from me…" he warned her, the tone of his voice chillingly pushed her towards her car and strode over to his truck, wanting nothing more than to get away from her, to be able to regain his scattered wits and figure out what the hell was going on.

_Oh hell to the no.._ she thought fiercely as she ran after him, her hand grasping his shoulder. "You can't just identify me as a witch and then tell me to butt out! I promise I don't have a spell on you. I swear to you..How can I stay away from you now when you know my secret? You still haven't told me how all this involves you…"I've felt so isolated since Grams told me about being a witch…' she admitted, eyes imploring as they met his. "It's nice to not have to hide it from someone," she whispered her fingers clenching his shirt tightly. "Please..I don't want to be alone in this.."

He flinched at her touch, although he stilled, listening to her words.'If it's not a spell then how the fuck…It would mean it's real…I can't do that…can't want you like that. I won't tell anyone your secret just keep out of this, please. I can't tell you that, can't tell you anything about me…its way too dangerous..But I will tell you this..you need to stay away from Sebastian…stop baiting him. I'm serious." His tone softened as he took in her face. "I know how lonely it can get but I can't be close to you…I can't…because if I was close to you.. what happened in there," he jerked a thumb at entrance of the cemetery "would be nothing compared to what would happen..It's for your own protection.."

Feeling horribly and inexplicably rejected, she backed away from him. "Fine, ""I'll stay away from you then… Bye," she said, closing her eyes as she heard the break in her own voice and the tears start to fall down her cheeks.

He sighed defeated, knowing that there was no way he could leave, not when she was crying and he felt like a douche. "Wait…please don't cry.." He was on her in two seconds cradling against her chest. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what you want from me. I've explained why…I can't. Do you understand?"

She sighed into his chest as the tears from the past week flowed freely down her face, "I still don't understand but…it would be nice to have a…friend," she looked up at him, hopefully."Someone I can talk to about this. Obviously you're sort of vampire hunter or whatever. I'm not trying to pry but I just feel, "she paused, "safer with you. I don't know why. Can we not act like strangers? Not after what you know about me," she finished returning her head to his chest, wondering what it was about this rude, obviously crazy boy that made her feel..safe.

"Do you realize what you're asking?" he sighed as he stroked her hair gently. "Every time I see you all I want to do is kiss you, ever since that damned project we did together…I'm not a vampire hunter…You shouldn't feel safer with me…" he warned her, darkly. He fell silent, standing in the cold night air, with the first girl in over two hundred and fifty years to drive him crazy held in his arms like some sort of precious stemware. "Ok..I'll try…but in exchange I want you to promise you won't go looking for trouble…No researching..no snooping around..'"

She nodded her head,biting her lip, wondering if she could keep what she was about to promise him. "Like I said I'm not trying to pry…I promise…" she pronounced finally, her fingers crossing delicately out of his sight. "Although trouble has a way of finding me it seems," she finished with a half smile. She paused looking away feeling self-conscious, "I liked the kiss" she whispered, feeling heat seep into her cheeks.

"I like kissing you…" he admitted rawly, "But we can't…I'll try and help you, but you have to promise you won't go meddling without me…and you have to keep away from Sebastian. Those are my terms.."he finished, wondering if he was really going to be able to be close to her without kissing her senseless.

"Yeah, sure, I understand," she swallowed painfully. "Why do I need to stay away from Sebastian?"

"I can't explain it… You know the saying that every family has a black sheep? Well he's our one. Trust me on this." he entreated her, voice grave. "Not even Jesse can control him."

She looked into his eyes, then looked away because of the intensity she could see in his green eyes. "Okay," it was barely a whisper as she stepped back from him and put out her hand,a gesture meant to seal the deal. "Friends."

Sam closed his eyes, briefly, wondering how the hell he was going to be able to deal with being friends with her, but knowing that right here, right now, he would do whatever she asked of him as long as he never had to witness her tears again.… Opening them, he took her hand, feeling the jolt of electricity that surged through his body at her touch… along with something darker, somehow infinitely older.._I've known you..in another life…I think…_ He dismissed the whisper of his mind, focusing on the present, "Friends."


End file.
